Belgium vs Netherlands
Netherlands is 38% larger than Belgium.
BelgiumNetherlandsBelgium moved onto Netherlands · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.73×
Belgium is 0.73× the area of Netherlands. Put the other way, Netherlands is 1.38× the size of Belgium.
 Belgium |  Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNetherlands: 1.38× the area | 30,688 km²#137 of 194 | 42,201 km²#131 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNetherlands: 1.51× the population | 11,941,781#82 of 194 · 2025 | 18,087,633#72 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNetherlands: 1.1× the density | 389 / km²#22 of 194 | 429 / km²#21 of 194 |
| Urban populationNetherlands: 1.09× the urban share | 88%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 96%#8 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.44 per woman#149 of 192 · 2024 | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelgium: 0.18 points higher | +0.70%#114 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 9.6 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Belgium: 0.8 points higher | 15.7%#153 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belgium: 0.1 points higher | 21.0%#23 of 192 · 2025 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNetherlands: 3.1 per 1,000 higher | +2.7 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2025 | +5.8 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelgium: 0.3 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNetherlands: 1.1× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNetherlands: 1.09× the doctors per person | 3.57 per 1,000#43 of 178 · 2022 | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNetherlands: 1.05× the university enrolment | 82.1%#20 of 145 · 2023 | 86.6%#15 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNetherlands: 0.004 higher | 0.951#9 of 190 · 2023 | 0.955#8 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNetherlands: 1.15× the income per person | $59,500#15 of 185 · 2025 | $68,530#10 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNetherlands: 1.84× the economy | $725.47B2025 | $1.33T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Netherlands: 1.17× the output per person | $74,676#18 of 184 · 2025 | $87,320#10 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNetherlands: 0.8 points higher | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNetherlands: 0.7 points higher | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelgium: 1.51× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 3.9%#114 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Belgium: 1.1 higher | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2023 | 25.7#142 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNetherlands: 0.7 points higher | 1.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 1.7% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBelgium: 5.4 points higher | 19.2% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 | 13.8% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNetherlands: 4.7 points higher | 79.8% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 84.5% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNetherlands: 4.3 points higher | -4.0% of GDP#182 of 184 · 2025 | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNetherlands: 5.2 points higher | 75.5% of GDP#18 of 168 · 2025 | 80.7% of GDP#12 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingNetherlands: 1.09× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 2.2% of GDP#52 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 96%#20 of 184 · 2024 | 97%#17 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNetherlands: 1.24× the mobile subscriptions | 104 per 100#124 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBelgium: 2.0× the forest share | 22% of land#116 of 192 · 2024 | 11% of land#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelgium: 1.11× the CO₂ per person | 7.31 t a year#28 of 185 · 2024 | 6.60 t a year#34 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNetherlands: 0.5 points higher | 11.7%#135 of 190 · 2021 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 8.4 µg/m³#165 of 191 · 2023 | 8.6 µg/m³#164 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNetherlands: 6.5 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNetherlands: 1.5 points higher | 28.3% of land#33 of 190 · 2024 | 29.8% of land#29 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBelgium: 3.16× the water stress | 52.8%#34 of 176 · 2022 | 16.7%#72 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelgium: 1.09× the rain and snow | 847 mm#102 of 180 · 2022 | 778 mm#108 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNetherlands: 0.36 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | +0.53#68 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNetherlands: 0.51 higher | +1.36#21 of 193 · 2025 | +1.87#9 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBelgium: 1.57× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyfederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Brussels | Amsterdam |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | German, French, Dutch | Dutch |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +32 | +31 |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe | Western Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belgium sits at about 51° N and is stretched to 2.49× its true area; Netherlands at 52° N is stretched to 2.67×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belgium bigger than Netherlands?
- No. Belgium is 27% smaller than Netherlands. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Netherlands covers 42,201 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Netherlands?
- About 1.4 times: Netherlands has 1.38× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Netherlands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belgium is drawn about 2.49× its true area there and Netherlands about 2.67×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Netherlands?
- Netherlands: 18,087,633 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Netherlands 429 per km².
- Which is richer, Belgium or Netherlands?
- By gross national income per person, Netherlands: $68,530 against $59,500 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.15× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belgium or Netherlands?
- In Belgium: life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years, against 82.0 — 0.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belgium and Netherlands have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).